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REMARKS AND RESOLUTIONS 



COMMEMORATIVE OP" 



The Hon. JOSIAH QUINCY, LL.D. 



BY THE 



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AT THEIR FIRST MEETING AFTER HIS DEATH. 



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SJEorcEgter, IHassacfiusetts. 

MDCCCLXIV. 






The President, as requested by the Society, transmitted a copy of the 
resolutions, relating to the late Hon. Josiah Qdincy, LL.D., to his son, Hon. 
Josiah Quincy, with the following letter : — 

Hall of the American Antiquarian Societt, 
Worcester, Oct. 26, 1864. 
My Dear Sir, — I have the highest satisfaction in performing the hono- 
rable duty imposed on me by the Americ£\n Antiquarian Society in tliat part 
of the proceedings of their meeting on the 21st instant, copied below, which 
I beg that you will present to your family as an expression of affectionate 
and profound respect for your honored father, Josiah Quixct, LL.D., and of 
just appreciation of his services and virtues, and of deep regret that the bless- 
ing of his Ufe, made more precious by every added year, will be hereafter 
only enjoyed in its revered and instructive remembrance. 

I also tender to your family the assurance of my personal sj-mpathy in 
the private grief for which pubUc honors are a cold alleviation, and into which 
a stranger may not intrude. 

I have the honor to be most respectfully yours, 

Stephen Salisbury, President. 

Hon. Josiah Quin'Cy, Boston, Mass. 



^ EXTRACT 



^ 



THE " PEOCEEDINGS " OF THE SOCIETY. 



At the Annual Meeting of the American Antiquarian Society, 
held at Worcester, on Friday, October 21, 1864, the following 
remarks, in behalf of the Council, Avere submitted by Mr. 
George Livermoke : — 

At our last Annual Meeting, when we commemo- 
rated the completion of the first half-century of our 
existence as an association, we all listened with rare 
gratification to the letter of a venerable founder of 
the Society, whose interest in its welfare had con- 
tinued from the first, and who had, during his life of 
more than ninety years, in various ways promoted the 
objects for which it was formed. 

His great age, so far beyond the ordinary period of 
human life, forbade us to hope for a much longer 
continuance of his presence among us. When, there- 
fore, on the first day of July last, the announcement 
of the decease of Josiah Quincy was made, it created 
no surprise. The measure of his days, of his use- 



fulness, and of his honors, was full. His life was 
completed. 

The numerous other institutions with which he was 
connected have already paid their tribute to his worth; 
but, however they may have anticipated what might 
otherwise have been a fitting eulogium from the Amer- 
ican Antiquarian Society, this does not deprive us of 
the pleasure, or absolve us from the duty, of recog- 
nizing his claims to honor as an Antiquary in the 
noblest sense. 

The historical writings of Mr. Quincy entitle him to 
a high rank among the authors who have enriched 
this class of American literature. If he had left no 
other record of service to his country, his published 
works, from the importance of the subjects to which 
they relate, and the ability with which these are 
treated, and from the lofty principles those works 
illustrate and inculcate, would cause his name to be 
held in honorable remembrance. 

That one whose time was so nearly engrossed by 
official duties should have been able to do so much 
and so well as an historian and a biographer, would 
surprise us, if we did not know that most of his lit- 
erary productions were the n-atural outgrowth of his 
active life. Whenever called to any public service, 
he, like a true antiquarian, began by reverting to the 
past, and making himself thoroughly acquainted with 
whatever had preceded that had relation to the posi- 
tion he was to hold ; and the investigations which he 



made primarily for his own information and guidance, 
he published for the benefit of others. 

His largest and most elaborate work, the History of 
" that University Avhich was the very cradle of learning 
in these parts of the earth," is in its nature almost a 
treatise on the literary, ecclesiastical, and civil anti- 
quities of New England. In that institution, founded 
amidst the toils and sufferings of the first settlers, 
were reflected, more clearly than almost anywhere 
else, their principles and purposes as well as their 
manners and customs. The minute details of their 
contributions and sacrifices for its support, in view of 
their circumstances and their object, are full of moral 
dignity ; and the antiquary, in bringing to light such 
examples, becomes a most eloquent moral teacher. 

Mr. Quincy was called to the Presidency of the Uni- 
versity in 1829. There was hardly an institution in 
the country of greater interest than Harvard College, 
whose history from its beginning had been blended 
with whatever concerned the maintenance and ad- 
vancement of sound learning and civil liberty in the 
American Colonies and the United States. But 
hitherto there were to be found only scattered notices 
of its origin, action, and influence, which awakened, 
but could not satisfy, the curiosity even of those who 
knew it best from having been nurtured in its bosom. 
In 1833, was published the excellent, summary, 
though uncompleted and posthumous, volume of Mr. 
Peirce, the librarian of the University. But a full 



History was still a desideratum. For more than a 
quarter of a century, a vote of the Corporation, re- 
questing the President to prepare a History of the 
University, had stood upon the records of that Board. 
Mr. Quincy was not the man to shrink from any duty 
which his official position devolved upon him ; and, 
having been specially invited by the Corporation to 
prepare a discourse to be delivered on the 8th of 
September, 1836, the second centennial anniversary 
of the foundation of the University, " in commemora- 
tion of that event, and of the founders and patrons of 
the Seminary," he not only performed the task then 
assigned him, but announced his purpose of preparing, 
as soon as it was practicable, the long-desired History 
of the institution. 

What he began from a sense of duty, he con- 
tinued with affectionate zeal till he completed the 
work, — an enduring monument to the founders and 
benefactors of his venerable Ahna Mater. 

When a new chapter shall be added by another 
hand, the history of the administration of President 
Quincy will not suffer by a comparison with that of 
any of his distinguished predecessors. 

Before his removal to Cambridge, Mr. Quincy had 
already begun his " Municipal History of the Town 
and City of Boston during Two Centuries." This, 
like the History of the University, originated in his 
official position. His natural attachment to the town 
in which he was born had been strengthened by 



repeated evidences of confidence and respect on the 
part of his fellow-citizens. He had been invested by 
them with the most important offices in their gift ; he 
had been their representative in both branches of the 
State Legislature ; and, for four successive terms of 
service, he had represented them in the Congress 
of the United States. It was as Judge of the Munici- 
pal Court of Boston, that he made the memorable de- 
cision, that the publication of truth with good intent 
is not a libel, — a decision which, though questioned 
and gravely censured at the time, has since become 
the settled rule of law. 

Called from the bench to the chief magistracy of 
the City, he entered upon the administration of its 
affairs with that indomitable energy which ever dis- 
tinguished his public life. The recent transition from 
a town to a city government had brought with it the 
necessity of important changes in old modes of pro- 
ceeding, and of the establishment of new institutions. 
Here the wisdom and foresight, as well as energy, of 
Mr. Quincy were fully exercised ; and he lived to see 
even those of his measures which at the time met with 
only partial approval, and others which encountered 
the strongest opposition, fully justified by a later pub- 
lic opinion. 

At the request of the municipal authorities, he 
delivered " An Address to the Citizens of Boston on 
the 17th of September, 1830, the Close of the Second 
Century from the first Settlement of the City"; an elo- 



quent commentary on its history, full of noble senti- 
ments, and a model production of its kind. He gave, 
in a condensed form, the result of much antiquarian 
research into the manners and customs, laws and 
principles, of former generations ; and he did not fail 
to enforce in the strongest terms the lessons they sug- 
gested. 

The larger History of Boston, which, after a lapse 
of twenty years, was resumed, and was finished in 
February, 1852, at the close of the author's eightieth 
year, is mainly devoted to an account of the City gov- 
ernment during the period of his mayoralty. In the 
preface he says : " It appeared to the author, that a 'mu- 
nicipal history of the Town, and an accurate account 
of the transactions in the first years of the City gov- 
ernment, would be useful and interestmg to the public 
in future times, and was due to the wisdom, fidelity, 
and disinterested services of his associates." In the 
naked record of his administration, we find the best 
eulogy on his own ability and his devotion to duty. 

The " History of the Boston Athenaeum," also, grew 
out of Mr. Quincy's relation to the institution and its 
founders and early patrons. They were his cherished 
friends. He was himself one of the original contrib- 
utors to its fund. For several years he was its Presi- 
dent. 

When, in IS-iT, the corner-stone of the spacious 
and elegant edifice in Beacon Street was laid, he was 
requested to deliver an address on the occasion ; and 



9 

was afterwards solicited to write out and extend his 
remarks for publication. The result was a volume of 
between three and four hundred pages, containing a 
documentary history of the Athenaeum, followed by 
admirable biographical notices of its deceased found- 
ers. It was a labor of love to commemorate the 
services of that little band of " ingenuous scholars " 
who originated and established this institution, " dedi- 
cated to letters and the arts." 

The biographical works of Mr. Quincy, no less than 
bis Histories, were produced in response to some call 
of obvious duty. 

Believing, to use his own words, that, " of all monu- 
ments raised to the memory of distinguished men, the 
most appropriate and least exceptionable are those 
whose foundations are laid in their own works, and 
which are constructed of materials supplied and 
wrought by their own labors," he prepared, from the 
papers bequeathed to him by his father, a Memoir of 
that illustrious paV},yt, which will continue to be read 
with the greatest interest and admiration, as long as 
the love of liberty is cherished, and the story of its 
apostles, defenders, and martyrs is welcomed. 

The " Life of Major Samuel Shaw," prefixed to his 
" Journals," and prepared, at the request of the pro- 
prietor of them, by Mr. Quincy, the only surviving 
friend who could do him justice as a benefactor of his 
country, was undertaken, the author says, from no 
other motive than the gratification afforded by being 



10 



instrumental in perpetuating the memory of one whom 
he had known in his early youth, and of whom, after 
the lapse of fifty years, he " could truly say, that, in 
the course of a long life, he had never known an 
individual of a character more elevated and chivalric, 
acting according to a purer standard of morals, im- 
bued with a higher sense of honor, and uniting more 
intimately the qualities of the gentleman, the soldier, 
the scholar, and the Christian." 

Two of Mr. Quincy's biographical productions were 
written at the special request of the Massachusetts 
Historical Society. The brief but excellent " Memoir 
of James Grahame," author of the " History of the 
United States of North America," contains all that we 
know of that worthy man and fa,ithful historian. Mr. 
Quincy had great respect for the moral purity and in- 
tellectual elevation of Mr. Grahame's character, and 
held his work ui high estimation. He felt that it 
was " incumbent upon some xlmerican to do justice 
to the memory of a foreigner who had devoted the 
chief and choicest years of his life to writing a history 
of our country, with a labor, fidelity, and affectionate 
zeal for the American people and their institutions, 
which any native citizen may be proud to equal, and 
will find it difficult to surpass." This Memoir was 
first printed in the " Collections of the Massachusetts 
Historical Society ; " and was afterwards prefixed to 
a new edition of Mr. Grahame's History, as revised 
and enlarged by the author, and published, in this 



11 



country, after his death, under the auspices of his 
biographer. 

In the eighty-seventh year of his age, Mr. Quincy 
completed and published his " Memoir of the Life of 
John Quincy Adams," — a fair volume of over four 
hundred pages. Connected by family ties, nearly 
his co-eval, and intimately acquainted with his pri- 
vate life as well as his public career, Mr. Quincy 
was peculiarly fitted to perform the task assigned 
him. It was, however, to Mr. Adams's public life 
that the biographer principally addressed himself. 
Besides the advantages derived from personal knowl- 
edge, and a recourse to his printed works, he was 
favored with access to copious authentic unpublished 
materials. 

His " chief endeavor," as he says, was " to render 
him the expositor of his own motives, principles, and 
character, without fear or favor, in the spmt neither 
of criticism nor eulogy." He thus produced a work, 
which, whilst it partakes largely of the nature of 
an autobiography, constitutes also a most important 
chapter in the general history of the Republic. 

If, at any time, a difference of opinion may have ex- 
isted between the biographer and his subject on minor 
matters, they were indissolubly united in the sentiment 
of the grand avowal of Mr. Adams, inscribed under the 
portrait that adorns the volume : " I live in the faith 
and hope of the progressive advancement of Christian 
liberty, and expect to abide by the same in death." 



12 



The key-note of Mr. Quincy's public life, and of 
most of his writings, is found in that invocation which, 
in his father's last will and testament, follows a be- 
quest, to the son, of the works of the great writers on 
free government: "May the spirit of liberty rest 
upon him ! " 

Inheriting the principles of this illustrious patriot, 
he consecrated his life, and all his powers, to their 
maintenance. Born when the sentiments of the Dec- 
laration of Independence were ripening into action, 
and living as a young man with those who made good 
the Declaration, and founded this Republic, he un- 
derstood the difficulties that beset their path when 
they were called on to form a Constitution for the 
government of all the States. In common with the 
great body of the statesmen of that day, South as well 
as North, he felt that there must ever be an irrepressi- 
ble conflict between freedom and slavery. 

An unfortunate delusion, fostered by the specious 
declarations and promises of a few members of the 
Federal Convention, who only ventured to ask for a 
temporary toleration of slavery, and averred, that, if 
let alone, they would willingly, in a short time, rid 
themselves of it, induced the framers of the Constitu- 
tion to commit to the several States the general power 
of peaceful emancipation. Mr. Quincy always dis- 
trusted the sincerity of those members who seemed 
to him faithless to the principles of the Constitution in 
insisting upon this as a condition of its acceptance. 



13 



He knew that any compromise by which eternal prin- 
ciples are postponed to temporary policy, sooner or 
later, fails. 

When, at last, this essential antagonism resulted in 
open violence that aimed to destroy the nation itself, 
and thus the Government became invested with the 
right, and placed under the obligation, to preserve the 
life of the nation at the expense of its mortal foe, 
Mr, Quincy thought he saw the hand of Providence 
opening a way, as righteous as it was necessary, for 
the extirpation of the evil. 

His faith in the permanency of the Republic never 
faltered. He had none of the timidity or of the de- 
spondency which often accompanies extreme old age. 
"The victory of the United States in this war is inevi- 
table," were his words but a few months before he died, 
addressed to the President of the United States, in a 
letter remarkable for its vigor and its clearness of 
statement. He looked for a speedy suppression of 
the Rebellion. He believed that his country would 
come out of this terrible conflict, purified and justified 
in the eyes of the world. 

With devout gratitude for all the blessings which at- 
tended his long and eventful life, and with a firm faith 
in the goodness and mercy of his heavenly Father, 
our venerated associate passed to his eternal home. 

Our chief purpose, on the present occasion, has been 
less to speak his eulogy, already elsewhere pronounced 
in a classic as well as in the vernacular tongue, than 



u 



to enrich our records with the enumeration of some of 
his merits as they are shown in those of his works 
that are intimately connected with our own objects as 
members of an American Antiquarian Society. 

Ere long the marble statue and the granite column 
will arise to perpetuate his memory. But the erec- 
tion of a still more enduring monument will be the 
noble task of the historian, who, to illustrate the 
spirit of the free institutions of our country, as exhib- 
ited in the character of one of her greatest citizens, 
shall portray the Life and Times of Josiah Quincy. 



The Hon. Levi Lincoln addressed the Society as follows : — 

Mr. President, — The Report of the Council, as is 
usual and becoming such occasions, makes mention 
of those melancholy providences, which, in the inter- 
val between our meetings, are continually removing 
from our association honored and beloved members of 
this Society by death. We are now reminded, in 
touching and appropriate terms, of the decease, since 
the last meeting, of one of the most distinguished of 
our number. The late Hon. Josiah Quincy was of 
the earliest, and, at the time of his death, was the 
oldest, of our associates. He was, eminently, a great 
and good man ; and, I think, having regard to all 
considerations, the most marked man of the century 
among us. I should be ungrateful, indeed, if I failed, 
in connection with the proceedings of this meeting, 



15 

to express my entire sympathy in the notice of his 
death, and my most hearty concurrence in the tribute 
of respect paid to his memory, by the impressive lan- 
guage of the Report. 

The courtesy and kindness of this venerable man 
placed me, personally, under many obligations. More 
than a half century since, I entered the Senate of 
Massachusetts, the youngest of its members. Mr. 
Qumcy was among the seniors at the Board. It was 
at the period of the embargo and other obnoxious, 
restrictive measures of the Government, and on the 
very eve of the declaration of war against England. 
The spirit of party ran high ; and there was bitterness 
of feeling, and often much acerbity of language, in 
debate. Differing widely, as we did, in political 
opinions, and opposed to each other in regard to 
public measures, I recoU'^ct from him, in my unprac- 
tised position, no instance of unfriendliness, no one 
word of unkindness. Through subsequent, successive 
years, in the discharge of arduous public duties, I 
was sustained and greatly cheered by expressions of 
his favorable regard, and not unfrequently became 
a delighted listener to his sagacious counsels, and a 
partaker of his elegant hospitalities. He will long 
be remembered by others, also, for the kindness of his 
heart ; and his name be held in honor, by the country, 
for the brightness of its fame. 

I beg leave to offer, for the consideration of this 
meeting, the following resolutions: — 



16 



" The impressive event of the decease of the late Hon. Josiah 
Qnincy, LL.D., having occurred since the last meeting of this 
Society, it becomes his associates, on this first subsequent opportu- 
nity of their assembling, to give expression to their admiration of 
his elevated character, — their high appreciation of his eminent 
public services, — their testimonial to his protracted years of 
virtuous living, and to his active, enduring, and unceasing labors 
of distinguished usefulness to extreme old age. Therefore, — 

" Resolved, That the American Antiquarian Society will ever 
hold the memory of their late associate, the Hon. Josiah Quincy, 
LL.D., in affectionate and honored regard, as the erudite scholar 
and liberal patron of science, the upright jurist, the patriotic 
statesman, the pure-minded and exemplary citizen, and the imself- 
ish, enlightened, faithful, and devoted public servant ; alike in 
all the relations of civil, social, and private life, firm in purpose, 
and true to principle and the loftiest conceptions of personal 
duty. 

" Resolved, That in the death of President Quincy, Avhile we 
lament that we shall meet him no more as an associate in our 
cuI'.CC'ls. whose mere presence would be a benediction, we bow, 
in reverent submission and gratitude, to that gracious Providence, 
Avhich released him from the pains and infirmities of exhausted 
nature, and leaves his name and example as a precious memory in 
the hearts of contemporaries and posterity. 

" Resolved, That the foregoing resolutions be entered upon the 
Records of the Society, and that the President be respectfully 
requested to transmit a certified copy thereof to the family of the 
deceased." 

These resolutions were unanimously adopted. 




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